BeejiveIM starts the “cat and mouse” game recently. Hackers tried to crack the program, and BeejiveIM developers try verything they can to block it. First, they blocked piracy comes with PC LOAD LETTER message. After it is cracked again, they uses different attempt to check the license files.
It has been a hit topic in iPhone community. BeejiveIM provides nice features but some people just refuse to pay it. winandmac.com has the exclusive interview with BeejiveIM recently. They talked about the recent action of blocking piracy. They said those pirates accounts login name and password will not be logged. BeejiveIM uses UDID (unique iPhone device ID). The reason to use PC LOAD LETTER is to keep fun and deliver the clear message: please respect developers.
BeejiveIM developers think that $15.99 is not expensive since they provide nice features. They said people who bought the apps are happy.
There are some unconfirmed reports saying legal users are also blocked. BeejiveIM suggest these people to reinstall the applications. They claimed there are no direct reports that it is happening.
Full script of interview after the break. If you have any questions that you want to ask the developers directly, leave it in comments.
Stay tuned on winandmac.com. We will give away one FREE LEGAL copy of BeejiveIM for readers!
1. What is the technique used to block piracy?
People with pirated copies are unable to log in to their accounts. We display a humorous error message and redirect them to a funny video. Hopefully the anti-piracy message is clear enough that they will either stop using the application or go buy a legal version from the App Store so that they can continue enjoying BeejiveIM.
2. Will BeejiveIM grab the detailed information (MSN login name? UDID?) of those who used pirated copies?
We do not grab user’s IM usernames or other pieces of personal information (see our privacy policy on our website). We do reserve the option of capturing the UDID of devices running pirated versions of the application to prevent further piracy.
3. People claimed $15.99 app is too expensive, what do you think?
BeejiveIM offers an unmatched instant messaging experience. It is meant for serious IMers, people who are using our application multiple times every single day. Given the deep feature set that we are giving our users, we offer good value for the price. Our value proposition is confirmed by the overwhelmingly positive reviews we have received to date from our paying customer, which we work hard to maintain.
4. During the time when PC LOAD LETTER happens, is there any reason that you use this message?
It’s a bit of a prank we pulled on those pirating the app. We have tried to keep the experience fun with the error message and the video, but we hope our message is clear: please respect the work of developers.
5. After the PC LOAD LETTER happens, some legal users said they are also blocked. Is that true?
We have heard of a few unconfirmed cases of this happening. Our recommendation is to clean re-install the application through iTunes or restore the phone to the standard OS. We have not directly seen anyone with a legal license with this problem, jailbroken or not.
me me me i want a free copy of beejive please
Of course, they will not say that their app is too expensive… but the fact is that it IS expensive.
Ok, they have great features, but an IM app is not meant to be paid. On a mac or on a PC, the best IM apps are free.
I agree that they deserve to be paid for their work, but 15$ is not worth it for most iPhone owners… They would have much more customers if it was a bit cheaper, and they would certainly earn much more money…
But they are right, piracy is bad… So i’m using Nimbuzz instead.
IM over the web is absolutely free. Oh sure sure.. making IM on another plateform (iPhone in this case) DOES sound like a $15.99 big deal. I’ll stick to Palringo.
$5.99 would be an ideal price btw.
This app is really expensive, too expensive !!
There s toons of free apps on the appstore with the same features & sometimes more : nimbuzz, palringo ebuddy etc…
I will never spend 10$ a messenger !!